[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10733]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             COMMEMORATING TROOPER FIRST CLASS WESLEY BROWN

  (Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart 
to commemorate the life of Maryland State Trooper First Class Wesley 
Brown. Just 24 years old, Trooper Brown of Seat Pleasant, Maryland, was 
fatally shot last Friday. Trooper Brown was a brave Maryland State 
police officer, and a rising leader in our community.
  The youngest of nine children, Trooper Brown overcame a challenging 
childhood to serve Maryland and better the lives of the youth in Prince 
George's County through a mentoring program he founded, Young Men 
Enlightening Younger Men. In his own words, Trooper Brown wrote that he 
founded the program to ``show the young men in the community that there 
is a bigger and brighter future ahead of them with unlimited 
potential.''
  Indeed, he had unlimited potential. A son of Prince George's County, 
a graduate of Crossland High School and an accomplished student of 
criminal justice, he was a testament to his own words, and a shining 
light to all whom he encountered.
  I join the Maryland State Police family and all those with whom he 
served in grieving the loss of Trooper Brown. He exemplified the best 
in our communities and, having spoken with his family, I know he was a 
wonderful son, brother and soon-to-be husband. His death is a tragic 
reminder of the perils our law enforcement officers face every day, and 
the bravery they show to ensure our safety.
  I honor the life and memory of Trooper First Class Brown, and our 
thought and prayers are with his family and friends.

                   Young Men Enlightening Younger Men


                         About Our Organization

       Welcome,
       My name is Wesley Brown and I am the founder of Young Men 
     Enlightening Younger Men (YMEYM). In September, 2007, my 
     friends and family and I came together to show the young men 
     in the community that there is a bigger and brighter future 
     ahead of them with unlimited possibilities. YMEYM meets 
     together as a group at least once a month to take a field 
     trip somewhere outside of our community and spend time 
     bonding and mentoring. Between field trips, the mentors stay 
     in touch with the young men and encourage them to stay in 
     school, do the best they can in school and in extracurricular 
     activities, respect themselves and each other, and to talk 
     out any conflicts instead of resorting to violence.
       All of the mentors have committed much of their personal 
     time and finances during this formation period. YMEYM's 
     meeting location was my residence, where we would sit back 
     and talk about whatever was on the boys' mind. Our goal is to 
     listen and understand their problems and issues. Then we talk 
     together to reach positive solutions to solve the problems. 
     This way, the young men can think before they act, which 
     sometimes results in unjustified punishment.
       So, what we created is more than a mentoring program, a 
     tutoring program, or a community service program. This is now 
     a brotherhood of more than 20 young males with distinct 
     personalities and different goals in life who are coming 
     together to be a part of something positive. After 
     researching some of these issues, we found that the majority 
     of today's young men just want to be a part of something and 
     that is why gang violence in the neighborhood is growing so 
     rapidly.
       The school system requires that students have a 2.0 GPA in 
     order to play sports. What happens to those who try, but who 
     just don't make it because of poor school systems or a lack 
     of support from home? Where does he go? Who can he turn to? 
     We believe that if a young man is trying to make himself a 
     better man and a productive member of society, then we are 
     PROUD of him--and we tell our young men that. We are proud of 
     them and are here to push them to reach their full potential.
       As a young man myself, some may wonder why I am trying so 
     hard to reach these young men, as if I am their parent. Well, 
     I believe that if the community is not encouraging our youth 
     to stand tall and become someone special, what makes us think 
     that the outside world will? After they are exposed to the 
     world outside of their immediate community, reality hits 
     them. They must be prepared and they must be shown the 
     importance of responsibility and accountability and then they 
     will go far in life.
       During these teenage stages is when young men develop 
     different characteristics which will continue to live within 
     him during his entire adult life. Too often young men 
     underestimate their own capabilities and greatness. It is our 
     responsibility to step up to the plate and make a positive 
     change. One young man at a time.
     Wesley Brown,
       Founder Young Men Enlightening Younger Men, Inc.

                          ____________________